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Introduction The new brain tumor classification (2016 WHO) distinguishes diffuse glioma based on their molecular characteristics of isocitrate dehydroge- nase (IDH) in IDH-mutant, IDH-wild type and IDH NOS (not otherwise specified). The evaluation of IDH mutation status has diagnostic, prog- nostic and therapeutic implications. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the analysis of ADC maps can non-invasively predict the IDH mutation status. Materials Conventional MR images and ADC maps of 28 patients (11-F, 17-M) with histological confirmed diffuse high-grade glioma (WHO-grade III- IV) were reviewed and correlated with the IDH mutation status (18-MUT, 10-WT). MRI was performed on a 1.5T MR scan (GE-Optima 450). In order to place the ROIs on the solid components of the lesion, the ADC maps were elaborated and co-registered with the T2-w and Gd-enhanced T1-w images. For each tumor 4-5 ROIs were placed and the mean ADC- values (ADCmean) were calculated, choosing the lowest values for each patient. The comparison of the ADCmean values between IDH-MUT and IDH-WT was performed using the Student's "t" test, considering signifi- cant a value of p

CRPA has identified, in Emilia Romagna Region, five agricultural biogas plants, to monitor the main parameters related to energy efficiency, operational reliability and have a realistic picture of the biogas yields. This work was part of the SEBE Project, co­financed by Central Europe Programme. The choice of plants, made by five different firms, was made on the basis of the type of biomasses fed, the size and the technology adopted. Four plants had an installed electrical power of less than 1 MW (size that allowed access to the all­inclusive feed­in tariff of 280 €/MWhe injected into the grid) and one with an installed power of more than 1 MW (tariff system of green certificates). Substrates processed into the biogas plants were characterized, process parameters were detected, were characterized the digestate produced and monitored the specific production parameters such as the volumetric organic load, the hydraulic retention time, the electric energy produced and consumed in, the characteristics of the biogas, the biogas per m3 of reactor, the biogas and methane yield per kg of organic substance introduced, the electrical yield per kg of organic matter introduced. Anaerobic digestion was confirmed as an energy conversion technology very versatile and it can use biomasses that other technologies can not used, such as vegetable and animal organic biomasses, raw products, with a total solids content with very different content of TS., Proceedings of the 22nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 23-26 June 2014, Hamburg, Germany, pp. 798-802

CRPA Lab has conducted anaerobic digestion tests in the experimental continuous pilot plants, of two agro-industrial by-products, olive pomace and citrus pulp. They were co-digested in mixtures with cattle manure and maize silage. Four mixtures were tested; the process was conducted in mesophilic conditions. Olive pomace and citrus pulp represented from 35 to 50% of volatile solids fed daily in reactors (corresponding to about 30% by weight). Results of the tests showed that all mixture generated biogas in significant quantities, of which 57-58% is methane; the mixtures with citrus pulp has provided the best performance. However, during the test, appropriate attention to the evolution of the main parameters for the monitoring process were required., Proceedings of the 22nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 23-26 June 2014, Hamburg, Germany, pp. 203-205

In this study, we investigated the inter- and intra-genomic sequence variation of alpha-zein genes and their poly-peptide expression in different maize genotypes, i.e. inbreds and a set of Lombardy open pollinated varieties, by analyzing their RFLP, coding nucleotides and 2-dimensional (2D) protein fractionation profles. An extensive analysis of coding capacity of alpha-zein sequences in various genotypes and in the B73 reference inbred allowed us to assign 2D-spots to specifc zein sequences. Moreover, we found that some genes reported to contain in frame stop codons are very likely expressed. Collectively these data allowed us to constitute two barcodes respectively based on nucleotide variation and on 2-D protein patterns that identify univocally each genotype.

Anaerobic digestion is an energy process which allows the highly efficient exploitation of biomass which can be of vegetable or animal origin, derived from waste or dedicated production and wet or dry without distinction, producing a valuable biofuel (biogas/biomethane). The CRPA Lab, Environment and Energy Section of Tecnopolo of Reggio Emilia has developed a system to establish the Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) of different biomasses together with the true efficiency/reliability of biogas plant. The latter parameter expresses the amount of biogas/methane potentially obtainable from biomass degradation, expressed as Nm3/kgVS or normal cubic meters of biogas or methane per kg of volatile solids. The article reports the results obtained from the physical¬chemical characterization and the BMP tests of various residues and by-products generated by the agro-food industry. These biomasses are of considerable interest in that they have high organic matter content and because of the absence of unwanted fractions. This means they are suitable for use in anaerobic digestion, representing a possible solution for their re-use. They also represent an interesting alternative to energy crops whose use in anaerobic digestion is currently an issue of considerable controversy., Proceedings of the 20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 18-22 June 2012, Milan, Italy, pp. 1420-1423

This book represents the product of a collaboration funded by the European Commission. The contributors represent 28 organizations involved in varying aspects of livestock manure treatment in Europe. As a result, an objective review of the whole subject area is put together here. Based on the first edition published in 1997, this revised volume is greatly enlarged and includes new chapters on the problem of pathogens. This volume explains the practical use of treatment techniques in the management of manures for maximum benefit to farm operations and with minimum harm to the environment., Cet ouvrage représente le produit d`un travail de collaboration financé par la commission européenne. Les auteurs sont issus de 28 organismes impliqués sur les aspects divers de gestion et traitement des effluents d`élevage. Ainsi il est présenté une analyse complète du sujet. A partir de la première édition parue en 1997, ce second volume a été largement développé et contient de nouveaux chapitres notamment sur les problèmes de pathogènes. Cet ouvrage décrit également l`utilisation pratique des systèmes de traitement dans la gestion globale des déjections dans le but d`en maîtriser les pratiques à la ferme et de minimiser leur impact sur l`environnement.

The ALEPH Silicon Vertex Detector is the first detector operating in a colliding beam environment that uses silicon strip detectors which provide readout on both sides and hence a three-- dimensional point measurement for the trajectory of charged particles. \par The detector system was commissioned successfully at the $e^+e^-$ collider LEP at the research centre CERN, Switzerland, during the year 1991 while taking data at the $Z^0$ resonance. The achieved spatial resolution of the complete 73~728 channel device (intrinsic plus alignment) is $12 \; \mu m$ in the $r \cdot \phi$ view and $ 12 \; \mu m$ in the $z$ view. \par The design and construction of the entire detector system are discussed in detail and the experience gained in running the detector will be described with special emphasis on the uses of this novel tracking device for the physics of short-lived heavy particles produced in the decays of the $Z^0$ resonance.

Livestock production in Italy is mostly concentrated in the North, particularly in the Po Valley where intensive farms account for about 70% of total animal population. In the last decade there has not been a significant increase in the number of livestock produced, but there has been an increase in herd size, especially on pig farms. One consequence of this, is the overloading of fields with animal manure and increasing risks of pollution of drinking water due to leaching of nitrates and eutrophication of surface water caused by run-off of nutrients. In 1995, the environmental regulations of two of the most important Italian regions in terms of livestock production, Lombardia and Emilia-Romagna, were revised and approved. In the spring of 1996, with the consensus of all the Po Valley regions, the Po River Authority issued a directive which establishes a number of common standards to which all these regions must adhere. These regualtions substantially assimilate the EU Nitrate Directive. Among the various techniques for livestock slurry management, landspreading after simple storage continues to be the best method and the easiest to implement. However, in the cases in which it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to find extra land for spreading, farmers must make use of slurry treatment techniques in order to reduce the nutrient load., En Italie, la production animale est plutôt concentrée dans le Nord du pays, et plus particulièrement dans la Vallée du Pô, où les exploitations intensives regroupent environ 70% de la population animale. Au cours de ces dix dernières années, il n'y a pas eu de nette augmentation du nombre d'animaux produits même si la taille des cheptels a augmenté, et plus particulièrement la taille des cheptels de porcs. De ce fait, les terrains sont surchargés de déjections animales, ce qui augmente les risques de pollution potentielle de l'eau potable due au lessivage des nitrates et à l'eutrophisation des eaux de surface par le ruissellement des sels nutritifs. En 1995, la réglementation de deux des régions les plus importantes d'Italie en terme de production animale, la Lombardie et l'Emilie-Romagne, a été revue et approuvée. Au printemps 1996, l'Administration du fleuve Pô, en accord avec les responsables de toutes les régions de la vallée de celui-ci, a établi une directive dans laquelle sont définies un certain nombre de règles communes. Celles-ci doivent être respectées dans toutes les régions. Ces dispositions assimilent en substance la Directive européenne sur les nitrates. Parmi les diverses techniques de traitement du lisier, l'épandage après simple stockage reste la meilleure méthode et la plus facile à mettre en oeuvre. Cependant, dans les cas où il est difficile, voire parfois impossible, de trouver les surfaces suffisantes pour épandre le lisier, les éleveurs doivent faire appel aux méthodes de traitement afin de réduire la charge du lisier en éléments minéraux notamment.